Social Mobility Commission’s (SMC) December 2016 report Ethnicity, Gender and Social Mobility highlighted the “broken promises for many groups” in recent Britain. Its key findings drew attention to four categories of people that were struggling for good jobs and better opportunities in life: White British vulnerability to school underperformance; Black...

A recent report co-authored by Professor Ted Cantle and Professor Eric Kaufmann contained dire warnings on Britain’s increasing ethnic segregation. The report found that white indigenous communities are moving out of Britain’s urban areas in large numbers and are being replaced by minority ethnic communities. The result is an increasing...

The UK’s Charity Commission (CC), once criticised for its“disproportionate focus” on Muslim charities and feared by Islamic charities in the past, has praised Muslim charities in a blog by its outreach manager Nick Donaldson. According to Muslim Charities Forum, the blog says that “British Muslims gave approximately £100 million to...

From time immemorial, fasting has always been a pillar of religiosity and spirituality in major faith communities. To Muslims the month of Ramadan is pivotal for their spiritual uplifting, as it demands from them an individual consciousness, self-restraint, introspection and a spiritual renewal. Through fasting believers are expected to make...

The blessed month of Ramadan, aimed to build spirituality or God-consciousness amongst Muslims, is again with us. Behind the basic rituals of fasting from dawn till dusk lies the deeper spirit and teachings of endurance and giving. The agenda for this month is to ensure we spend time in lifting...

Visit My Mosque (VMM) day has generated some considerable interest in the mainstream media with regards to Muslims in the UK who are, by now, used to receiving negative press having done so over the past decade. At the same time that President Obama visited a mosque, sadly the first...

Religion in recent times is being seen as almost irrelevant in many European countries, but the religion of Islam has become a hot topic for various reasons. Religious literacy, particularly of Islam, even in our highly educated country is indeed poor. Lazy journalism, or in some cases cheap populism, may...

Post-7/7 Counter-terrorism measures, including the latest Counter-Terrorism and Security Act (CTSA) 2015, are perceived by many to be contributing to a social environment where Muslims are being treated as a ‘suspect community’. Many feel that this is adding to an increased hostility towards Muslims, creating a climate of fear and...

Many would argue that the children of this generation, particularly those in the developed world, are lucky; fortunate in the sense that they can benefit from a number of things that the generations of yesteryear simply did not have. From state-of-the-art educational facilities to sophisticated gadgets that could barely have...

Fasting in the lunar month of Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam and its main aim, according to the Qur’an (chapter 2, verse 183), is to create God-consciousness (taqwa in Arabic) among believers. Taqwa guides and propels a Muslim towards living a virtuous life and developing some...

Over the centuries Britain has embraced, and made itself the home of many races, cultures and religions. Every people have brought their distinct cultures to make it economically and culturally richer. Some communities arrived here with a lower level playing field compared to others and as such there were inevitable...

The shocking news of three mid-teen girls from east London missing on 17th February and boarding a Turkish Airline flight from Gatwick to Istanbul, most probably on their way to join ISIS in Syria, has decimated their parents and stunned local communities. Safeguarding and well-being of children is of highest...

In every culture and society, since the dawn of human life on earth, children are seen as the future. Parents, adults and the people around them are there to protect them, love them and prepare them for the future. As children are born with dependence and by nature they are...

The following article is written by Muslema Purmul and Maryam Amirebrahimi and can be found on Imam Suhaib Webb’s personal website: I was standing next to the grave, supplicating quietly to Allah for the man we just buried. He was a family relative, loved by many alhamdulilLah (praise be to God). As I stood there, a...

Since 2010 people in every continent have come to observe World Homeless Day on 10th October in various ways to “draw attention to homeless people’s needs locally and provide opportunities for the community to get involved in responding to homelessness.” The situation is getting worse year on year. Homelessness is...

A very warm Eid Mubarak to all. Eid-ul-Adha (Festival or Feast of Sacrifice) is a commemoration of wilful surrender of Prophet Ibrahim and his son Ismail (upon them be peace) to God. Ibrahim’s readiness to sacrifice his young son Ismail and the latter’s willingness to give his own life...

Muslims around the world are coming towards the end of this year’s Ramadan. The decision by the UK’s Channel 4 to air the daily Muslim call to prayer raised eyebrows and created hot debates amongst viewers, however this has increased awareness of Muslims fasting up and down the country. Whether practicing or...

Tomorrow millions of Muslims around the world will go hungry. They will do so intentionally, with no sustenance from dawn till dusk for a full month. This is challenging, particularly for Muslims in the northern hemisphere, where the days will be long and dry. In Britain, fasting could be as...

On 7 February the Department for Education (DfE) launched a consultation on Reform of the National Curriculum in England. It ends today (16 April). The DfE has already published a draft curriculum specification for 12 school subjects. In History, the Islamic contribution to this country remains almost entirely absent. In...

Transcript: Keynote Speech by Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari Tuesday 12 March 2013 Organised by LSE Students Union on ‘Campus Extremism, Freedom and Security: Working top promote Cohesion in British Universities’ Chair, distinguished guests, colleagues, students: It is my pleasure and privilege to be able to talk tonight about three...

Our children are our future, our hope. We all want them to be good human beings and better citizens. However, with changing nature of our society many of us are worried. Positive parenting is at the core of raising responsible children. Strong family, confident children Parenting starts in the family;...

The new Census figures from the Office for National Statistics for England and Wales reveal some startling, if perhaps unsurprising, changes over the last decade. For a start, we are mixing more, getting married less, religious affiliation is falling and the growth of immigration has altered the demographic makeup of...

Controversy has arisen around end-of-life care. In recent time questions were raised on the Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) system, which is intended to ease the last hours of a dying patient. But critics are saying that LCP is a way of hastening patients’ deaths. Some in the media are now...

Leaders of hospices and Muslim communities came together for a landmark event last Saturday, 13 October 2012 to mark Hospice Care Week. Lord Howard of Lympne CH QC, Chairman of Help the Hospices, Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari MBE and Robin Knowles CBE QC,together with Help For Hospices, celebrated and raised...

Religion and religious practice is for a higher purpose; to lift the status of human beings. When it comes to Islam it is about the spirit and message of the oneness of God and the stewardship of human beings on earth. Islam is essentially about one’s wilful submission to God...

“We pray to You, Almighty God, may grievance become hope, May revenge become justice May mothers’ tears become prayers That Srebrenica never happens again To no one and nowhere!” Last Wednesday on the 11th of July, I was in Srebrenica for the very first time. The above is the...

A child is not an adult Children are not small adults. They are newcomers to the world; everything is a first to them. They view the world through fresh, new and curious eyes. They are inquisitive, playful, imaginative, impressionable, uncritical and driven by extrinsic motivations. Their life is about exploring...

In my book Addressing Adolescence: A Guide to Parenting in Islam, I explored a Muslim perspective of adolescence and its issues, as this is where my primary experiences come from. However, adolescence and its adventures and challenges are universal. I have come across children and parents from all faiths during my...

A newborn baby is a pearl, a treasure in a family and loved dearly; sought after by parents, especially mothers. This ‘love’ comes after pain, after a nine month long pregnancy which can only be experienced by women. That is why in all religious and cultural traditions the mothers’ position...

The birth of a child is a euphoric and – for most parents – an ecstatic moment. It is a high point, a fulfilment, in one’s life journey. A child is a fruit of love between two human beings. For people who have religious faith, such life starts from God’s...

A very learned and successful Asian father whom I know attended my recent book launch at the House of Lords on parenting. On his return I got an email that said: “The motto of a budding family should be parenting, parenting, parenting. It is true that many problems caused by...

A book by Dr. Muhammad Abdul Bari was launched at the House of Lords today. ‘A Guide to Parenting in Islam: Addressing Adolescence’ is the latest instalment by Dr. Abdul Bari, on a topic that is most pertinent to him as a community leader and activist. Th book launch was...

Ever since I came back from my obligatory Hajj in 1989 I had always dreamt to be the guest of God once again. The opportunity came this year, and I was ecstatic. In the last two decades things definitely have changed. I was full of excitement and joy, as well...

Over four thousand years ago when humanity stooped to crude idolatry and moral degeneration became embedded with material progress there came a man of vision and towering personality who redirected mankind towards their role of vicegerency on earth. He was Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim in Arabic). His obedience to Allah through...

We are all born as individuals from a man and woman, a father and a mother: bare and dependent on adults for our survival. Our departure from the world is shrouded in uncertainty and when the time comes we leave this world alone and empty-handed. Our life is a mystery;...

Assalamualaikum and Eid Mubarak. We are delighted to join others in sending warm greetings of Eid Al-Fitr to all. This comes every year after a month-long fasting during the month of Ramadan which is for our spiritual renewal. It is in this month when Allah, out of His love for...

The shooting of 29-year-old Mark Duggan by armed police in north London on the evening of 4th August created a chain of riots, looting and mayhem in London and subsequently other cities. The first human casualties were three young Asian men of Muslim origin in Birmingham who were defending their...

‘Read’ – the road to success Among the signs of developed and successful societies are two practices that stand out prominently – their government’s higher investment in education and skills and the high level of reading habits from their citizens. These societies are dynamic and their people are disciplined. Even...

Fasting and the blessed month of Ramadan The month of blessings, forgiveness and salvation from Hell-fire, the month of Islam’s first victory over the pagan Arabs, and above all, the month of Al-Qur’an, has a distinctive significance for Muslims all over the world. Allah, in His infinite mercy upon the...

The Book that shaped the world! The month of Ramadan is the one in which the Qur’an was sent down as guidance for mankind, with clear signs containing guidance and criterion…. (Al-Qur’an 2:185). At a time when the world sank to its lowest and humanity deviated from its elevated position...

Infidelity in marriage is not new to human society. Although in God-conscious or more traditional societies it has remained rarer, none have been safe from this immorality. However, in recent decades the cases of marital infidelity has dramatically increased, especially in developed societies. This is due to a number of...

The key to the success of a Muslim community anywhere in the world is for its members to emulate the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him*) in both the individual and communal spheres of life. Mosques should be at the heart of community development and should provide the community with...

First, I must thank the Centre for Faith in Society for inviting me to deliver this lecture. The work undertaken by your centre is extremely valuable. I commend your important, fact-based analysis of faith communities, the institutions they build, their national and international contribution and their interface with government, business, and the wider civic sphere. Never has there been a more urgent imperative to appreciate the role of faith in public policy and in the civic sphere, and never has there been a more poignant moment for faith communities to make a contribution guided by what they hold dear, and to reach out to people of all faiths and none. My brief today is to outline ways in which British Muslims, one of the largest and perhaps youngest faith communities in this country, can construct a better Britain. Despite the challenges that Muslims face, even though we are sadly cast...

The demographics of the Muslim community in Britain has significantly increased in the past decade – there are now 2.4m Muslims, with a high percentage being under 4 yrs old, according to ONS in 2008. A recent study by the Young Foundation (Valuing Family, Valuing Work: British Muslim Women and...

With the ceremonial cauldron lit in London’s Trafalgar Square by Claire Lomas, who was paralysed in a horse riding accident, the nation will once again be gripped with another spectacular sports event from 29 August to 9 September. Her remarks, “I think the Paralympics will show what kind of people we are, what’s going on...

A spectacular success! It started with passion, and ended with inspiration. London 2012 has delivered a stunningly successful Olympic Games and is now preparing for the Paralympic Games. The theme ‘Inspire a generation’ has captured the mood of the nation with high spirit and euphoria. From organisers to volunteers to athletes: people from all sections...

For Muslims and non-Muslims alike, there is much confusion between arranged marriages – where two families, with the agreement of the bride- and groom-to-be, agree on a partnership – and forced marriages, where one side is forced into a marriage against their will. The issue has hit the headlines in the UK, where Home Secretary...

We would like to thank all those who helped make the Run 4 Your Mosque fundraising campaign and event a huge success! 500 runners took part in this fun, healthy and get fit run, which has raised over £200k through donations and sponsorship. We would especially like to express gratitude to those who have donated...

One of the most challenging issues with young people is to ensure their consistent motivation. We often hear from infant to adolescOne of the most challenging issues with young people is to ensure their consistent motivation. We often hear from infant to adolescent, ‘I’m bored’, ‘I’m tired’, ‘What’s the point of doing this?’ and so...

An exciting and inspirational Parenting programme in Stockholm, Sweden, on 28-29 April 2012. A two-day interactive workshop, themed ‘Family is the bedrock of human society’, was organised at Kista Folkhögskola on 28-29 April 2012 under the auspices of Youth Muslim Initiative (YMI), a youth organization based in Stockholm University. Dr. Muhammad Abdul Bari, an author and...

The selection of London as the host city of the 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games during the 117th IOC Session in Singapore was a testimony of London’s premier position as a world city. No other city has the accolade of having three Olympics so far (London hosted the other two in 1908 and 1948)....

This is a book to benefit kings and princes, the wealthy and the indigent, Sûfîs and religious scholars; (a book) to inspire the sedentary to set out, accompany the wayfarer on the path (al-sa’ir fil târiq) and inform the one journeying towards the Goal. (Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah)

A lot of the discussion about race and diversity tends to focus on numbers and the subject of migration has, in particular, risen up the political agenda. However, a much more profound change is to be found in the sheer breadth of diversity with, for example, over 300 languages spoken in London schools. A wider...

A central belief of the Open Society Institute (OSI) is that all people in an open society count equally and should enjoy equal opportunities. OSI works to mitigate discrimination, in particular harm done to minorities through discriminatory treatment, and to ensure that access to equal opportunities for all is an integral part of social inclusion...